Benefits of Gardening with children.

The children at Monroe’s Nursery have been very busy planting and caring for their flowers and vegetables.

Gardening offers exciting opportunities for children to play, learn and grow! Did you know that gardening has amazing developmental benefits for children?

Engages All the Senses

Children learn best when engaging all their senses. With gardening, children can touch and feel the dirt, seeds and flowers, see the vibrant colors and varied sizes of the plants, hear the sound of the vegetable when it is taken from the plant and smell the different scents of the flowers. Allowing all the senses to be involved helps children understand and grasp the concept of gardening along with all the math and scientific concepts that go along with it.

Encourages Healthy Eating

Eating healthy food is vital for brain and body development but it can be hard at times to get children to eat those fruits and veggies. By having them grow their own string beans, carrots and lettuce, they will have a sense of pride in eating what they have “created.” This, in turn, will emphasize the importance of healthy eating. Children will soon learn to love eating strawberries, carrots and even broccoli!

Enhances Fine Motor Development

Scooping up the dirt, placing the seeds in the pots and pouring the water all take fine motor control and strength. As children garden, they develop important motor skills that will help them improve their academic skills such as drawing, colouring, writing, and cutting.

Introduces children to Scientific Concepts

Gardening is a wonderful introduction into the world of science. When children plant their first seeds they become curious about what will happen next. They make their own hypothesis and monitor the progress each day. Without even realizing it, children are learning the basic steps of the scientific process.

Teaches Responsibility

Gardening is a great way to teach children about responsibility. Children learn that they have to take care of their seeds each day in order for them to become healthy plants.

Highlights the Importance of Taking Care of the Environment

When children garden, they realize how important it is to take care of the Earth if they want their garden to grow and produce healthy plants. It creates the perfect opportunity to talk about concepts such as pollution and recycling.

Develops Math Skills

There are so many teachable math moments when gardening from measuring the soil depth to counting the seeds. Children can also measure and compare the sizes of the vegetables as well the number of petals on the flowers. Another fun lesson is to identify all the different shapes and colours that can be found in the garden.

Teaches Patience

Children are used to immediate gratification; however, gardening is often a slow process. Children have to learn to be patient when waiting for their flowers and vegetables to grow. The waiting actually makes the moment the flower or vegetable sprouts even more exciting!